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U of A seems like the right move in every sense, based on your situation. Plus, it' s a great school! You did mention being close to family, but don't underestimate this. Med school is extremely stressful and hard, so having your support network close to you is super useful.

Having siblings who started at Mac and Queen's in the same year (for med school) I would suggest picking a 4 year program. The stress levels are quite different. You are learning so much that you really need some time to decompress between years.

Seems like most people agree that 4 year programs are more desirable than 3 year ones. Beyond that, your location is a factor of course (IP vs OOP) and trust your impression of the schools. All Canadian med schools are great.

I'd pick Ottawa too for all the reasons mentioned above. 3 straight years with no summer breaks is just brutal. Even if you're doing observerships/research in the summers at Ottawa, that's just such a different level of work. Breaks are important for your brain and your heart lol. I think 3 year programs are such a bad idea.

Both of those are excellent schools. I would suggest that U of A is the way to go for you, simply because your network (friends/family) are around you. It is really difficult to do med school and having a support system around you is completely invaluable.